Category: General

In something between one and two generations we’ve gone from the single income family being the standard to the two income family. You might think this would result in an increase in average family financial security. It’s not true. You might also think that the fact that this isn’t true is because of overspending and consumption on the part of… Read more →

My evil genius pal Alex points out this headline. It took me an embarrassingly long moment to realize just how funny it was, but then it clicked and I realized the thing was worthy of Fletch. The Daily Mail has a headline that’s just as funny, but for different reasons. (Be warned: the page linked to there includes a picture… Read more →

So, a while back I alluded to my last decade’s employment in what is essentially the same “white collar”Actually, I normally wear a t-shirt and jeans (when I even bother to wear pants!), I just mean “as opposed to really working for a living”. job. However, this doesn’t mean I can’t understand people with different types of jobs–as I commented… Read more →

“I’m sorry to be so short with you, but you are making as much sense as someone who asserts that World War II began when Delaware attacked Batman.” — PNH I am likely going to use that, or a simple variant thereof, in some future discussion where someone is starting from completely, objectively, wrong premises. (Cowardly caveat: Note that this… Read more →

While preparing a ficititious biography for a friend’s soon-to-be-published first book, I came across Louis De Rougemont, a.k.a. Henri Louis Grin His story is plenty weird enough to qualify for a blog post. Follow the link to see the long version at Wikipedia, but I have to quote a couple of bits here: In 1898 he began to write about… Read more →

First, let me say it’s apparently a really good thing that I didn’t get that Arabic shirt for this trip. One of the inspectors answered him “you can’t wear a t-shirt with Arabic script and come to an airport. It is like wearing a t-shirt that reads “I am a robber” and going to a bank”. I’m trying to come… Read more →

… if I called in “Guantanamo” on Monday, instead of showing up in Boston for work. “Calling in Gitmo” is the international travellers trump-card version of “calling in sick” here at the beginning of the third millenium. If I had seen the t-shirt below a while ago, instead of just now, I would totally have ordered one, and would have… Read more →

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When I first moved to Nova Scotia, I discovered that I had apparently moved to “the South Shore“. You see, the ocean side of Nova Scotia is essentially divided into two areas: the South Shore, which runs from Halifax down the coast to Yarmouth, and the Eastern Shore which runs up the coast to Canso. Amusingly, to get to the… Read more →

Just very busy. Since I last posted I have: Had a friend visit for 4 days Attended a folk festival Completely redesigned the policy evaluation code that drives “my” product Won an HGPA Hold ‘Em tournament (with the largest pot in association history) Taken a sick day And many other things…. none of which have left me with blogging time… Read more →

I’ve been showering for three days now with some soap I picked up while buying bath stuff for Sarah, and Trish keeps telling me I smell like a hippie. Apparently the Karma soap from LUSH smells exactly like that combination of nag champa and oranges that is forever bound in her mind (and mine too, if I’m being honest) to… Read more →

Today’s almost random browsing brings about this series of connections, which links the capital of Venezuela to the highest ranking American killed in World War II, to fact that the act of making a mint julep with creme de menthe can be considered an abomination. Read more →

Most of the time I’m a peaceful man, but all the earwigs in the world could die right now and I would be OK with that. Damn you Mom, for telling me when I was very young that earwigs crawl into your ears and can’t turn around, so they have to eat through your brain. Damn you Night Gallery. Read more →

BBC NEWS:Rocker Rose arrested in Stockholm Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose has been arrested in Sweden for alleged violent conduct and damage to a hotel room. Rose is alleged to have bitten a security guard in the leg outside the Berns Hotel, in Stockholm. Two thoughts on reading this story: 1) Axl is not aging well. And I think… Read more →

This news is so wrong. So wrong. Almost as wrong as this. And that is saying something. Read more →